


The Needs of the One

by Lucy_Claire



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: M/M, post-ST:ID
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-05-16 20:20:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5839624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucy_Claire/pseuds/Lucy_Claire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After losing Jim once already to Khan, McCoy refuses to risk losing him again, even if it means as a doctor he'd be ignoring the needs of the many just for the safety of one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Needs of the One

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: 'You can't protect me' requested by Tumblr user the-wisterian-lights

McCoy’s own voice reached his ears in slow-motion. His shouts for the crew to pick up whoever they could and head back to the ship were drawn-out, pitched deep and easily blocked out by the sound of his heavy, quick breathing and the pounding heartbeat in his ears.

It was an ambush. The celebration set up for the crew of the Enterprise to thank them for their help in a turf war had turned into a full-scale attack against the unarmed civilians and the trusting crew. He always knew there was a need for suspicion and distrust of the unknown but this was one of the times he didn’t want to be right and the priority of his ego got smaller and smaller as the amount of humans dressed in gold grew less and less and Jim was nowhere in sight.

“Get back aboard the ship! Get back on the ship now!” McCoy yelled as he passed by the fleeing majority and the armed few aiming their phasers and shooting to kill.

He frantically searched the field ahead of him, not caring if any of the shots went rogue and hit him, all his focus set on finding one person. Knowing Jim, he probably didn’t see his own life as a high priority and stuck around to make sure everyone got back on board first, or he got into an unmatched fist-fight.

“Has anyone seen the Captain?” he asked the group that passed him. Whoever bothered to turn back to answer him just shook their heads and continued off.

A flash of gold caught his eye and hope lifted him up only to drop him back down when he recognized Sulu helping a wounded Chekov hop to safety.

He rushed over and caught Sulu by the elbow. “Where’s Jim?”

Sulu tossed his head back. “Last I saw he was downhill with a few guys from Security. It was getting pretty ugly so charging in there would be a death sent — hey! Hey! Did you hear what I said? DOC!”

McCoy heard him loud and clear, Jim was going to get himself killed.

He reached the slope of the land and unhooked his phaser, charging it up. As a doctor he had never given much thought to using it, his job was to save lives not take them, but right now the instinct for survival, not just for him but for his captain as well, was on high alert and that meant burn anything that comes close enough.

He was _not_ going to lose Jim again, not after what happened with Khan.

Sounds of a struggle blew up down the hill, once he crossed the final bump he found the body of a red shirt and two others, but knocked out near their attackers. The last thing his eyes panned to was Jim struggling with a six-armed, seven-foot tall alien. Once it grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up the alarm in McCoy’s head blared louder and he saw red, aiming for a crippling spit on the junction between the forth arm and the ribs and shooting.

His shot tore the arm, killing the nerve and sending the alien buckling backwards. Jim took the chance to grab on tighter to the arm holding him up and swing his body over it, twisting the arm, loosening its grip until its hand released him and flipping the alien over. Once it hit the dirt he shot it dead.

McCoy sprinted over. “Jim!”

Jim was doubled-over, rubbing his bruising throat. “What are you doing here? You should be retreating.”

“What am I doing here? Saving your ass is what I’m doing,” he snapped, reaching to check Jim’s neck.

Jim slapped his hand away, backing away. “Shouldn’t you be saving the people who were actually wounded and not badgering me?”

“You’re our captain, Jim, you’re my main priority here.”

“Like hell I am, the crew is your main priority, I can take care of myself.”

“You clearly can’t, not all the time.”

“I can, I have taken care of myself on Earth, I’ve taken care of myself on Tarsus IV and I can take care of myself here and I can take care of others, that’s the whole point of being captain, that I can keep everyone else safe even at the cost of my own life, or did you miss the point of that sadistic test Spock created out of my father’s death? You know, the one I took three times?”

McCoy grabbed his wrist, pulling him closer so he could inspect his neck. “Jim, this isn’t a simulation, this is real life and you can die one of these days!”

Jim struggling against his grip. “Yeah, no shit!”

McCoy grit his teeth, biting back a frustrated growl. “I’m serious, just because you’re quick on your feet doesn’t meant you won’t face something that’s even quicker one of these days!”

“I’m well aware of that, thanks.”

“Dammit, Jim, would you quit fidgeting and let me do my job?”

“Your job is up on the ship with anyone who was actually hurt, Bones!”

“My job is making sure you don’t get yourself in irreparable damage, my job is keeping you alive so you can lead us on our mission and take us back home, my job is your safety, you corn-fed moron!”

“Would you quit being such a mom and get back aboard the ship? How many times do I have to tell you that I’m a grown-ass man, a captain at that, and that I can take care of myself?”

McCoy pulled him closer, desperately seeking out his eyes. “Would you just listen to me?”

“No. I’m the one in charge here and I say that right now you’re more important to everyone else so get back aboard the ship and let me do my job!”

“Just listen —”

“No, you listen to me, quit mothering me and go back up there. I don’t need you breathing down my neck every time I get so much as a scratch, I’m not a child no matter how much you claim I act like one.”

“That’s not why I hover.”

“Then what is it? Do you get some kind of power trip off bossing me around, is that it?”

“No.”

“Then what is it, Bones?”

McCoy held him the upper arms and shook him, shouting with unrestrained worry. “I just can’t lose you again!”

The lines of anger in Jim’s face fell into open-mouthed astonishment. “Bones, you never lost me.”

“Yes, I have. I lost you the last time you took Spock’s needs of the many bullshit over your own worth and fried yourself to death. I lost you in the midst of all that panic and while I was too busy tending to others you were dying of exposure and I couldn’t even reach you, I couldn’t even _try_ to help.” McCoy ranted, his face burning, his fingertips pressing deep into Jim’s arms. “Do you have any idea what that was like, having to hear from Scotty that you died fixing the ship? Have you ever stopped to think what that was like for me, your doctor, your best friend, to have you die so far away from me, not even getting a chance to say goodbye?”

Jim shut his mouth and shook his head.

“You were dead, Jim. I had your cold, lifeless body on a table in front of me and I felt like my world just ended.”

“But you saved me, I’m here, I’m alive, I’m fine.”

“I didn’t know that you would be and I don’t know that you will be in the future. I don’t want to arrive too late again and find you dead, do you understand me? Do you get why I can’t risk you getting hurt far away from me again?”

Jim raised a hand to touch his face, brushing the edges of his curved fringe from over his eyes. “I do, believe me I do, but you have to understand, Bones, that our jobs are risky, we’re in space for God’s sake, if I don’t die out here I could die from our glass breaking or our oxygen running out.”

“Don’t give me anymore reasons to hate that floating tin can we call a starship.”

Jim laughed lightly. “The point is, you can’t protect me, not always.”

McCoy nodded, releasing his vice-like grip on Jim’s arms. “I know I can’t, but you can bet I’ll try my damnedest to keep you up and running like the reckless idiot you are.”

The corners of Jim’s eyes crinkled as his white teeth were bared in the happiest grin McCoy had seen his face express in months. “I know you will.”

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [Tumblr!](http://lucyclairedelune.tumblr.com) :D 
> 
> Don't forget to comment! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧


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